Slow-down mechanism for sheet-conveying machines.



T. C. DEXTER. SLOW-DOWN MECHANISM FOR SHEET CONVEYING MACHLNES.

APPIJIOATION FILED AUG.25, 1909. Q

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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T. G. DEXTER.

I SLOW-DOWN MECHANISM FOR SHEET CONVEYING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 25, 1909.

985,014. Batented-Feb.21, 1911.

v 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W t/ ML T. G. DEXTER.

SLOW-DOWN MECHANISM FOR SHEET CONVEYING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25, 1909.

985,014, Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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E .KP h iv :1 9 LQ I a I g3 3 I 1 I a g D I 7 t (g I I 1% E g T. C. DEXTER. SLOW-DOWN MECHANISM FOR SHEET CONVEYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25,1909. 985,014. Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

.T. O. DEXTER. SLOW-DOWN MECHANISM FOR SHEET CONVEYING MACHINES.

APPLIOATIONFILBD AUG. 25, 1909.

' Patented Feb. 21,1911.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

I A97 5- 5 U printing press,

chine or other machine deslgned to operate the said patent,

UNITED srn rns PATENT OFFICE.

TALBOT GPDEXTER, 0F PEARL RIVER, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' SLOW-DOWN. Mnonianrsm ron SHEET-CONVEYING MACHINES.

' g Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Application filed-August 25.1909. Serial No. 514,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TALBOT C. DEXTER, a citizen of the .United States, residing'at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have'i'nvented certain new and useful Improvements in" Slow- Down Mechanism for Sheet-Conveying Machines, of which the following-is a specification.fi

My present inventiomwhich is animprovement upon the mechanism covered by Letters PatentNo. 76 L328 issued tome July' 12, 1904, relates to improvements in sheet controlling mechanism for sheet conveyers which are employed for" rapidly transferring successivesheets of paper from an automatic paper feeding machine to a folding machine, ruling maupon sheets. Y Y

The structure covered by my formerlatent No. 7 64,928 comprises-a sheet conveyer having a plurality of sheet conveying'surfaces traveling a't'ditferent speeds and arranged to'act successively upon a sheet in the'order of their decreasing speed, and cooperating rollers having controlling meansarranged to cause them to hold a sheet in effective frictional engagement with the conveying surfaces and to transfer 'the sheet from one conveying surface to the other Without releasing the control of the sheet. In the specific embodiment of this former sheet 'conveying mechanism shown and describedin I employed two constantly driven feed rollers arranged beneath the plane of feed of the sheets and driving mechanism for causing them to operate atdiiferent peripheral speeds, the relatively slow roller being arranged in a slightly lower plane than the hi h speed roller, and a peculiar form of drop roller mechan1sm arranged to operate above the differential under rollers so as to hold a passing sheet first in frictional engagement with the high speed and afterward in engagement with the roller, low speed roller to effectively slowdown the sheet as it approaches the front gages of the press or other machine tolwh'ich the sheets are being fed. 7 v

In the improved formof slow down sheet conveying "mechanism covered by my present case, I have arranged the under differential feeding surfaces in the form of rollers,

operating in approximately the same feeding plane and with their peripheries intersecting by reason of their location close to-' gether in different vertical planes. The purpose of this arrangement is to remove, as far 'as possible, the depression or valley between the high and low speed surfaces. Cooperating with this new arrangement of differential rollers, I employ double friction rollers,

one portion of eachof which is adapted to I act upon the sheet above ahigh speed roller,

while the other portion of each of which is adapted to act upon the sheet above the low speed roller. This double form of cooperating rollers is necessitated by reason of the arrangement of the high and low speed rollers in different vertical planes. In the movement of the cooperating rollers from the high speedto the'low. speed roller, there is a very slight drop necessitated because of the intersect-ion of the peripheries of the under rollers and on this account the improved slow-down mechanism is capable of operating accurately at. very. much greater speed than the old form of slow-down mechanism could be operated.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I'w-ill first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

I In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sheet conveying machine having my improvements appl ed thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame, only one side of down mechanism. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 7

a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6. Fig

8 is a detail sectional view of the double friction roller, and Fig. 9 is a detail viewof a part of thead1usting device .for regulating the position of the double roller.

In the accompanying drawings, I have s shown my improvements applied to a sheet conveying mechanism arranged between an automatic paper feeding machine and a printing press for rapidly conveying the successive sheets separated from the pile of the feeder to the gages of the press. v

gether by stay bars such as 5.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, resents a part of the frame of an ordinary printing press, having the usual impression cylinder, and press gages (not shown) which arrest the successive sheets in position to be taken by the grippers of the impression cylinder. 4 represents a part of the frame of an automatic paper feeding machine. The feeder and press are usually anchored to- 7 represents a pile of sheets in the feeder, 8 the usual front guides for the pile, 6 the under feed shaft of the feeder drop roller delivery mechanism, and 10 the main cam shaft from which all the parts of the feeding machine and sheet conveying mechanism are usually driven.

The conveyer frame proper comprises suitable longitudinal side bars 15 rigidly connected at their ends with corner brackets 16 and 17, said bars being connected and made into a skeleton" frame by the usual transverse tie rods and shafts, some of which, forming part of the present invention, will be hereinafter referred to. The conveyer frame is pivotally mounted upon studs 'projectin inwardly from brackets 32 of the paper eeding machine. The forward end of the conveyer frame is usually made in a detachable sectionindicated at 26 which is designed to rest upon the press frame 1 as shown. This driven. by a section 2.6 of the conveyer frame has formed in its upwardly projecting side brackets the open sockets 25 in which rest studs 27 rojecting laterally from the brackets 17 of the main conveyer frame.- J ournaled in depending lugs of the brackets'll' is the idler tape roller 20 which extends from side to side of the conveyer, frame. The forward detach able section 26 of the conveyer frame supports the under guide slats upon which the sheets rest at the front gages of the press. This section of the conveyer frame also usually supports the side registering mechanism which is not herein described.

30 is a tape drum journaled at 31 in the forwardly projecting brackets 32 of thepaper feeding machine. This drum 3O drlves the endless conveyer tapes 35 which pass around said drum and around the idler rol1er'20. A series of idler pulleys 36 engage the under lap of the endless conveyer .tapes for holding them taut. .The shaft 31 of the tape drum 30 carries a gear 42 meshing 'with an intermediate gear 41 which is gear 40 keyed to the under feed tie feeding machine above referred to. A gear 45 keyed to the projecting end of the drum shaft 31meshes with and drives an intermediate gear'46 which in turn meshes with and drives a gear 47 formed integral with the hub 48 of a bevel gear 49 journaled upon a stud of the bracket 32. This bevelgear .49 meshes with and shaft 6' of drives a similar bevel gear 50 keyed to the 1 repwhich extends longitudinally of the conveyer frame at one side thereof and is journaled in the bracket arms 52.

Adjustably mounted upon the side bars 15 of the conveyer frame are the side brackets supporting a number of transverse shafts and tie rods which constitute the carriage of the improved slow-down mechanism. This adjustable carriage is moved longitudinally of the conveyer frame by means of a shaft (31 journaled in the brackets 60 and carrying pinions 63 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5) which mesh with the rack bars 64 cut in the under face of the side bars 15. A hand wheel 65 is mounted at each end of the cross shaft 61 for the purpose of rotating said shaft and moving the slow-down carriage into the desired adjusted position longitudinally of the conveyer frame.

The carriage brackets 60 have journaled in them the main transverse shaft which carries at its outer end a spiral gear 71 which meshes with and is driven by a similar spiral gear 72 :uljustably the driving shaft 51 above referred to. This adjustable gear 72 is embraced by the outwardly projecting yoke-shaped bracket 75 of the carria e so as to cause saidgear 72 to be adjus'te longitudinally upon its driving shaft when the slow-down carria e is adjusted. This main transverse sha t 70 carries between its ends two or more under feed rollers which constitute the high speed rollers of the improved slow-down mechanism. The gearing for driving the shaft 70 is so arranged that the surface speed ofthe rollers 80 will be the same as the surface speed of the conveyer tapes 35 above referred to. Each of these rollers 80 is arranged between two of the conveyer tapes 35.

Supported upon the adjusting shaft 4H,. the tie 'rod 66 and the high speed shaft 70 ofthe carriage are the longitudinally extending bracket arms in the forward ends of which is journaled the low speed shaft of the slow-down mechanism. This shaft 90 extends from side to side of the conveyer frame and has keyed to one end a small gear wheel 91 which meshes with and is driven by a pinion 92 keyed to a short auxiliary shaft 93 arranged parallel with the shaft 90 and carrying a larger gear wheel 94 which meshes with and. is driven by a smaller gear 95 keyed to the high speef shaft 70 above referred to. The auxiliary .haft 93 is journaled in a lug projecting from one of the bracket arms 85. The gearing 91, 92, 94 and 95 serves to reduce the speed of the shaft 90 with relation to the main shaft 70 to obtain the desired slow-down effect. This low speed shaft 90 carries between itsends two or more slow-down rollers 100. each one of which is arranged with its upper surface splined upon gages of the press so that each sheet will be derstood that the high speed rollers 80 are traveling at the same peripheral speed as the conveyer tapes 35. .Thesheet rapidly moves forward through these rollers until the leading edge of the sheet approaches the front gages of the press, When through the action of the controlling cam 114 and rock lever 111, the rock shaft 106 is given a quick forward movement with the result that the friction rollers 129 in engagement with the passing sheet, move away from the high speed rollers into engagement with the low speed rollers 100, and retain their frictional hold upon the sheet during the transfer from high speed rollers to low speed rollers, thereby instantlyreducin the speed of the sheet as it reaches the rent gages of the press. The rollers 80 and 100 are so arranged that there will be a very slight depression of the sheet as it passes from the control of the high speed rollers to the low speed rollers, which is a very important feature, particularly for rapid work.

What I claim is: 1 1. In a slow-down mechanism for paper feeding machines, the combination of the high speed rollers and the low speed rollers arranged'beneath the plane of feed of sheets in different vertical longitudinalplanes, and

cooperating friction rollers arranged above the plane of feed of sheets and'having frictional treads arranged in the same vertical planes as said high and low speed rollers. with means for intermittently moving said frictional rollers from engagement with the high speed rollers into engagement with -the low speed rollers. I

2. In a slow-down mechanism for paper feeding machines, the combination of a sheet conveyer, the high speed rollers and the low speed 'rollers arranged upon said conveyer beneath the plane of feed of sheets in parallel vertical longitudinal planes, and cotiperating double friction rollers arranged above the plane of feed ofsheets and having parallel frictional treads arranged in the same vertical planes as said high andalow speed rollers, with means for intermittently moving said frictional rollers from engagement with the high speed 'rollersinto engagement with the. low Speed rollers. i-'

' 3. The combination with a sheetconveyor,

of a plurality of sheet conveying rollers'ar;

ranged in the same feeding plane as -t he,con-.

veyer and in different longitudinal 'and transverse vertical planes, means for posi-' tively rotating said rollers at difierentperipheral speeds, and means for successively holding a sheet in frictionalengagcment with the respective conveying rollers and retaining hold of the sheet duringits transfer from the control ofone conveying roller. to another. o f a 4. In a sheet conveyer, the combination of suitable sheet conveying means, feedrollers of different peripheral speeds arranged in the same plane as said conveying means and in different vertical longitudinal planes, means for positively rotating said feed rollers at dilferentperipheral speeds, and friction rollers adapted to successively engage a sheet against said feed rollers.

5. In a sheet conveyer, the combination of suitable sheet conveying means,'feed rollers of different peripheral speeds arranged in the path of sheets in different vertical; longitudinal planes with their peripheries overlapping. means for positively 'rotatingsaid I feed rollers, and frictionrollers ada ted to successively engage a sheet against said feed rollers. l

6. In a sheet conveyor, the combination of suitable sheet conveying means, feed rollers of different speed relation arranged in the path of sheets adjacent to each other and in parallel vertical longitudinal planes with v their peripheries intersecting a common ver- -v tical transverse plane. means for positively rotating said feed rollers, and cotiperating friction rollers arranged above the plane of feed and adapted to successively. engage a sheet with said feed rollers.

7. In a sheet conveyer, the combination ofthe sheetconveying tapes, parallel feed sha fts extending transversely of the conveyer,

rollers mounted upon said feed shafts :ad-

inthepatih ofv sheets and-.intersectinga common vertical transverse plane, means' for- 8. In a sheet conveyerfthe combination of the feed rollers arranged adjacent to each .jacent to each other with their peripheries j other indiiferenayertical longitudinal planes-beneath the path of-sheets, means for driving said feed rollers at different speeds,

coiiperating friction rollers havingfrictional treads arrangedflin the planes of said feed 3 rollers for the purposeset forth, 'an.d means for operating said friction rollers for caus ing them tofirst engage the'high speed feed rollers and afterwardengage the low speed "-feed rollers.

9. Ina sheet'conveyer, the combination. of

high and low speed feed rollers operating in; 7

approximately the same feeding plane-with -.t heir peripheries overlapping or intersecting driving said feed shafts at different speeds, i

in the sameplaneas oneof the high speed rollers-.80. Therollers 100 and 80 are ar ranged in different 7 vertical planes longitue 2 l0 -speed rolIers.i- ,j

brackets 60, support the up dinally of-the 'conyeyer, with their pcriph' eries' intersecting' 'iwhen viewed from} oneside, and 'thez sha-ft 90 supporting the low speed rollers 100 is journaled as'clfose aspos-- 'sihle to the peripheries of high speed rollers 80 soas-tofreduce to a minimum the depres sioni or valley{between the high and low pivoted at 108 to an adjustable telescoping rod or pitman 109 which extendsreajrwardly andisipivotallyconnected at 110 to a lever 111' pivoted at 112 to the feeder frame 4 and carrying anJ'a'nti-friction roller 113 which I'llilS iulperipheralengagement with a con- 1 trolling ca mf114 mounted upon the feeder 1 cam shaft 10'; suitable spring device. in

dicated atfll5jicauses'the'cam roller113 to followthe shape of-the controlling cam 114 withtheresult that the shaft 106 will beintermittentlyrocked in its bearings for the upon the rock sha-fty106 and carrying in'its' purpose which will now be explained.

125 isK a, rock; arm .adj ust-a'bly mounted lower endalateraIly' projecting rigidly sen cured rod126; .This rod.126 has freely journaled uponit;a-forwardly projecting arm 'fjecting bearing-"stud 128 upon which is jour- 127 formed: at its end with a laterally pro;

-nailed ajidouble friction *roller 129; This -'f fdoi bleg}friction;roller 129 .is preferably "air-me as shown particularly inFig.- 8 of thefdrawingsj inwhichit conslstsof a cylindrical '=body portionformedwith two external aiinular groo'ves 130 in which are seated therubber rings 131 constituting the friction treads of the wheel, The head of this body portion 129 is journaled upon the stud 128 above referred to and confined thereon by means'of a nut- 132 engaging the threaded portion 128 of said stud;

An adjustable tension spring 135 is coiled upon the rod 126 with its inner end in engagement with a pin 136 projecting from the 'arm' 127, audits outersendengaging the I pin 137 on'a collar' 13'8 adjustably mounted uponthe end of rod 126 andconfined in the desiredadjusted osition by a nut'139 threaded upon-the re uced-end' of the rod 126. The spring 127 holds the friction roller129 in engagement with the under feed rollers with suiticient tensiontomaintain' control of the sheet I and Cause it to inoveat the speed of the par-- ticularunder roller it is heldin' engagement.

-For thegiurpose of accurately and conveniently jus'tin'gthe rock arm 125 around This 135 acting upon the arm the rock shaft 106, I prefer to mount upon said shaft an arm 140 which is splined upon 141 and spline or key 142 so as to cause said arm to rock with the shaft, but at the same time, becapable of adjustment longitudi-' nally of the' shaft or transversely of .the

conveyor frame. This arm 140 which' is arranged alongside of the rock arm 125 above referred to,'has journaled in it an adjusting thumb screw 145 which is threaded through an ear or lug 146 formed integral with the rock arm 125. The rock arm 125 is also preferably provided with a set screw 147 which is adapted to engage the shaft 106.

Since-thearm 14 is held against rotation,

the shaft by means of a longitudinal groove upon the shaft 106, itwill readily be understood that by loosening'theset screw 147 of arm125, the position of arm 125 upon'the shaft 106 can be adjusted to a nicety to cause the friction roller 129 to coact properly with the under feed rollers of the slowdown mechanism. "Vhen the justed to the desired position, t ey are fixed in this posit-ion by means of set screw 147. It will be observed that this adjustment of arm 125 around-shaft 106 hasthe effect of parts are admoving the friction rollers forward or backward in the conveyer frame to determine the front and rear limits of their movements. It will also be observed that by reason of the construction just described, this adjustment of the friction rollers 129' longitudinally of the ,conveyer frame can be effected without interfering with the adjusted tension of spring 135. The adjustment of the friction roller 129 just described is utilized for ac? complishing the final positioning ofthe roller, it being understood that the slowflown-carriage is adjustable as a whole upon theconveyer frame in the manner heretofore described.

The rock shaft 106 carries two or. more of the double friction rollers 129 mounted as just explained, one of said rollers-being arranged directly above each pair'of under high speed and slow-down rollers 80 and respectively hereinbefore referred to.

; The tread portions 131 of the friction roller 129 are spaced apart the same distance that separates the rollers 80 and 100 laterally of f the machine so that one of the friction treads 131 will be in the same vertical plane as the high speed roller 80, while the other friction tread 131 willbe in the same vertical plane as the low speed roller 100.

The operation of my improved slow-down mechanism for sheet conveyors will be understood from the following explanation: In adjusting the machine to operate u on sheets ofa particular size, it will be an ersto'od that the slow-down carriage is adjusted uponthe conveyer frame to support the slow-down rollers 100 a little more than the length of the sheet away from the front a common transverse plane, means for positivel y driving said feed rollers, and cooperating double friction rollers, one portion of each of which is adapted to act upon the sheet above a high speed roller, while the other portion of each of which is adapted to act upon the sheet above a low speed roller.

10. In a sheet conveyer, the combination of feed rollers operating at different speeds in approximately the same feeding plane upon parallel transverse axes with their pe- ,ripheries overlapping, cooperating double --tion rollers.

friction'rollers, each formed with two parallel tread portions, one portion of each of which is adapted to act upon the sheet above for shifting the position of said double fric- TALBOT C. DEXTER,

Witnesses:

A. C. HAMMOND, E. Kn'roHUM. 

